The Delhi Police on Thursday opposed a plea in a city court that demanded the registration of a first information report (FIR) against state law minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Kapil Mishra over his alleged involvement in the 2020 northeast Delhi riots.
Police told the court that the investigation has in fact revealed a conspiracy to falsely implicate Mishra, and that a plan was devised to portray him as leading a mob that incited the violence.
The matter was heard by additional chief judicial magistrate Vaibhav Chaurasia at the Rouse Avenue court. The application, filed in August 2024 by Yamuna Vihar resident Mohammad Ilyas, sought an FIR against Mishra, the then station house officer (SHO) of Dayalpur police station, and five others, including three BJP leaders — Mustafabad MLA Mohan Singh Bisht, and former MLAs Jagdish Pradhan and Satpal Sansad.
The court has reserved its order on the application and is set to announce its decision on March 24.
Ilyas, represented by advocate Mehmood Pracha, alleged that on February 23, 2020, he witnessed Mishra and his associates blocking a road in Kardampuri and destroying street vendors’ carts. He further claimed that the then deputy commissioner of police (northeast) and other Delhi Police officers stood next to Mishra, warning protestors to vacate the area or face consequences.
The complainant detailed three separate incidents over the following three days, during which he allegedly saw the Dayalpur SHO, along with Pradhan, Bisht and Sansad, vandalising mosques across northeast Delhi.
On Thursday, special public prosecutor Amit Prasad, representing the Delhi Police special cell, informed the court that Mishra’s role had already been investigated in connection with the larger conspiracy behind the riots. This case, which includes charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, names former JNU student leader Umar Khalid and other student activists.
“The chats of the Delhi Protest Support Group (DPSG) indicate that ‘chakka jams’ (road blockades) were being planned well in advance, as early as February 15 and 17, 2020,” Prasad argued. He further claimed that investigation reveal that a plan was hatched to pin the blame on Mishra as having led a mob that started the violence.
In September 2024, the city court had sought Delhi Police’s response to the allegations against Mishra and the others. In its reply, the DCP (northeast) stated that the complainant’s claims had already been addressed in multiple FIRs registered across various police stations in the riot-affected area.
The police further emphasised that Mishra’s alleged involvement had been thoroughly investigated by the special cell and found to be unsubstantiated. “The proposed accused no.2, Kapil Mishra, was thoroughly investigated, and it was found that he had no role in the alleged incidents,” the police report stated.
Citing WhatsApp chats from the DPSG group, the report further noted: “Messages were being circulated to spread a rumour that a mob led by Kapil Mishra had initiated the violence.” Regarding the other accused individuals named in the application, the police asserted that none of their names had emerged during investigations related to the riots.
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